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Marketing execs at 20th Century Fox are betting the house on three words – Klaatu barada nikto – when it comes to selling their remake of Robert Wise‘s sci-fi touchstone “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Comic-Con attendees were given black t-shirts bearing the famous phrase from Wise’s Cold War-era movie. Then, when the lights went dark in Hall H, the screens were filled with several seconds of white noise before a familiar voice could be heard uttering … Klaatu … barada … nikto.

Nobody knows exactly what the words mean, so it’s probably perfect that they were being said by Keanu Reeves. Reeves, a figure loved by most and hated by some in Comic-Con circles, is playing Klaatu, an alien who travels to earth bearing a dire warning.

Shape up or risk alien obliteration.

It’s perfect casting: Reeves, so often seen in movies struggling to make sense of the world (whether it should be an effort or not), playing an alien trying to understand both the humanoid body he has temporarily inhabited as well as the human race itself.

“He is trapped in this human body,” Reeves said. “It’s a containment, a compression. That’s how I tried to play it. In the original, the character was a little more warm and fuzzy, more human than human.”

Reeves paused for effect.

“I’m not that guy.”

Director Scott Derrickson said “Day” was ripe for a remake as it’s the kind of movie that lends itself to different issues that speak to different eras. In 1951, it was nuclear peril. Now, it’s environmental implosion.

The clips Derrickson showed sported a more bad-ass Klaatu, with Reeves’ alien flipping the switch on a lie-detector test and eerily rendering his captors powerless.

“In some ways, it’s the story of an alien becoming human and understanding what makes humans worth saving,” Derrickson said. “It’s such a good story. And I’m surprised how few people have actually seen the first movie. I hope people go back to it after seeing ours.”

Caption (both photos):Actor Keanu Reeves, left, and actress Jennifer Connelly, right, during an interview to promote their new movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” at the Comic-Con 2008 convention Thursday, July 24, 2008 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Gerard Butler (“Gerry” to his friends), had just finished answering a question about his new crime thriller “Rocknrolla” and there was a silence in Hall H … which was soon filled when a woman bellowed to Butler: “Take it off!”

This command – made repeatedly throughout Thursday’s “Rocknrolla” panel –follows the shout-outs earlier in the afternoon during the “Twilight” presentation, which featured various begs, screams and shouts from a rabid female fan base, mostly directed toward young star Robert Pattinson.

The “take it off” directive was actually more interesting than anything said or seen during the “Rocknrolla” presentation, which featured Butler, director Guy Ritchie and actors Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges.

Ritchie called the film a “spillover” from “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” Is a “spillover” the same as a leftover? This does not sound promising.

It takes awhile, but someone from the audience mentions – in a good way — the movies that Ritchie has made in the eight years since “Snatch”? (That would be “Swept Away” with wife Madonna and “Revolver.”)

Q: “Was there pressure to go back to films that were as successful as the first two?”

Ritchie: “Yup.”

As for the trailer, which made its debut at Comic-Con, it sports a bunch of mooks, young and old, shooting guns, crashing cars and repeating the word “rocknrolla” over and over again.

To Butler, this “defines cool.”

It certainly feels like old times for Ritchie. We’ll see if he can recapture a bit of the magic when the movie arrives in October.

One funny moment came when Piven, whose HBO series “Entourage” famously featured an episode set at Comic-Con, was asked how reality of the event compared with television.

“I’m in awe of all of you,” Piven says. “And I would like to celebrate each and every one of you.”

An audience member immediately yelled for Piven to toss out some of the chocolate candies Butler had been throwing into the audience.

“I have no more chocolate left,” Piven said. “But I will be taking my shirt off.”

Joel Silver has mellowed over the years, and when I’ve encountered him lately, he seems like a nice enough guy. The legendary screaming seems to have tapered off.

But the man’s movies of late aren’t exactly generating a lot of whoops and hollers from the Comic-Con crowd.

Silver returned to Comic-Con Thursday, selling the latest slate from his Dark Castle brand. First up: “Ninja Assassin,” a movie whose title speaks for itself. It stars Korean pop singer Rain, also seen earlier this summer in Silver’s “Speed Racer.”

Silver introduced a “Ninja Assassin” clip. “It’s really out there,” he said. The footage Silver showed featured lots of fire and people hitting each other with sticks and fists and a fair amount of stylized blood geysers in the vein of “300.”

Yawn. The teen girls in Hall H didn’t seem to care about the quality – or the movie. They just wanted to express their undying affection for the one known as Rain

Sample: “Hi. This question is for Rain. I love you Rain! Just wondering how you prepared for this role of Ninja Assassin.”

Rain, who has shiny hair and a bright smile but not the most exacting command of the English language, responded: “I always dreamed about being an action star. Finally I made it. Please wait for ‘Ninja Assassin.’ Thank you.”

Here’s a guess: There will not be much Rain-related dialogue in “Ninja Assassin.”

Sample question No. 2: Does Rain hope to conquer America as he has South Korea?

The women – packs of teens, many of whom had their mothers in tow –
began lining up outside the San Diego Convention Center last night at
8 p.m. They carried pillows and blankets. Some had sleeping bags.
They were all there for one reason – “Twilight.”

Stephenie Meyer‘s series of vampire novels have attracted a cult
following unknown to most Americans. But they made their voices heard
loud and clear Thursday inside Hall H. Their numbers, which had grown
to several hundred campers by midnight Wednesday, dominated the day’s
Comic-Con presentations.

And when “Twilight” cast and crew disappeared, so did the women.
Probably to hunt for Robert Pattinson, who plays the vampire boy toy, so they could tell them, just one more time, that they love him.

Stars Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were on hand Thursday, along with Taylor Lautner, Cam Gigandet, Rachelle Lefevre, director Catherine Hardwicke and author Meyer to answer questions and show a clip from the film, which opens Dec. 12.

The movie, based on the first book in Meyer’s series, is essentially a Romeo and Juliet love story about a mortal teen named Bella (Stewart) and a vampire stud, Edward (Pattinson), who fall deeply in love.

When Stewart admitted that she hadn’t heard of the book before she was sent the screenplay, there was an audible gasp from the thousands of fans close to the stage.

When those fans were given the chance to ask the cast their own questions, the first one out of the gate pretty much set the tone for the afternoon:

“Um … I just want to ask how it is to portray superhot vampires in the movie,” a teen girl queried.

It was revealed Pattinson would sing a song on the soundtrack. It was also revealed that Pattinson had a hard time forming a complete sentence, though you could forgive the 22-year-old Brit because of the decibel level in the hall.

The typical exchange went something like this:

Nervous teen girl: “What’s your favorite Edward/Bella moment?”

Pattinson: “Umm … (Shout from audience: “WE LOVE YOU ROBERT!!!”) my
favorite mmmoooom … (“WE LOVE YOU ROBERT!!!!”) … maybe … ah … (ROBERT
… WE LOVE YOU!!!”) how about a little scene I did where … (“YOU’RE THE GREATEST ROBERT!!!”) … I tried to intimate her and she’s not scared at all.”

Some questioners were shy. Others were not. One teen asked Pattinson: “How does it feel to be one of the most wanted guys in America … because I WANT YOU, BABY!”

Another woman, one of many sporting black TwlightMoms.com t-shirts, asked of the male cast members: “Is it boxers or briefs or nothing?!?”

There was the occasional nugget about, you know, the movie itself. And the clip, featuring evil vampire James battling Edward over dear, sweet Bella, got the kind of reception usually afforded rock stars and/or natural disasters – lots and lots of high-pitched wailing.

The most telling moment may have come at the end when someone asked who would top the box-office the weekend of Dec. 12 – “Twilight” or Fox’s “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Short answer: Don’t look for a lot of teen girls at “Day” in December.

Before Comic Con got under way, Glenn Whipp — who’s covering the event for the Daily News — wrote this piece about the event:

Comic Con: Where movie buzz is born

By Glenn Whipp, Film Writer

Freaks-and-geeks fest Comic-Con opens its doors Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center, and Hollywood studios are ready for what has become an annual sales job.

Jon Favreau remembers taking the trip to the four-day fest last year to present an early look at “Iron Man.” Favreau’s energetic meet-and-greet, supported by an appearance from a clearly enthusiastic Robert Downey Jr., generated great buzz among fans, which carried over to the movie’s breakout performance at the box office this year.

“I can’t say I was looking forward to going to Comic-Con,” Favreau says. “I was nervous. This is the core audience of the movie. I thought they’d like it, but until you hear the response, you never know.”

Scott Derrickson, director of the upcoming remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” knows the feeling.

“I think having the trailer out for the movie broke the ice for some people,” says Derrickson, who will be attending Comic-Con with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. “They know we’re not delivering the ‘Lost in Space’ version of ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still.’ ”

Among the highlights this year at Comic-Con:

“Watchmen”: Zack Snyder, the dude (and there really is no better word to describe this guy) behind “300,” brings the revered graphic novel to the big screen. For this crowd, there is no more anticipated movie than this. The core question: Can Snyder make a movie that comments on superhero movies in the fashion that the Moore/Gibbons serial commented on comics?

“Terminator Salvation”: McG is directing this sequel focusing on the adult John Connor trying to stave off the annihilation of mankind.

McG will be greeted with skepticism. The presence of Christian Bale, playing Connor, will stave off some of the hate, particularly given all the adulation for “The Dark Knight.”

“Drag Me to Hell”: Sam Raimi returns to his horror roots. But he won’t be going all the way back. It’s PG-13.

“Land of the Lost”: Much anticipated if only to see if director Brad Silberling and star Will Ferrell bring any of those giant green lizard-like sleestaks with them. Sid and Marty Krofft, the creators of this seminal Saturday morning TV show, will definitely be there.

“Twilight”: Can Hollywood make a good movie out of Stephenie Meyer‘s best-selling vampire love story? Catherine Hardwicke directs, and here’s guessing the tone will be closer to her “Thirteen” than to her last movie, “The Nativity Story.”

“The Day the Earth Stood Still”: Keanu Reeves, a polarizing figure in Comic-Con circles, stars as the alien messenger Klaatu (the part he was born to play?) in Derrickson’s remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic.

“Up”: Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”) will be on hand to raise the curtain on Pixar’s next movie (due summer 2009) and show an early clip or two.

There will also be presentations on “Max Payne” with Mark Wahlberg; “Mirrors,” starring Kiefer Sutherland; “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” the animated saga; “Bolt,” an animated film from Disney; “Ninja Assassin”; upcoming summer films “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “Death Race”; and Guy Ritchie‘s “RocknRolla.”

In between all the Hollywood presentations in the convention center’s cavernous, 6,500-seat Hall H, there will be the usual bizarre bazaar of geek goods, workshops, meet-and-greets and costume contests.

Some 125,000 people attended last year. If you don’t have tickets now, expect to scrounge. The event is completely sold out.

Christian Bale is a broody guy, but he’s always struck me as eminently rational and self-controlled. So I’m reserving judgment on the Batman actor’s arrest for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister in London until more facts become available.
What I will say, though, is that I’d hate to have a physical confrontation with the man. Last month, Bale told me about the Keysi Fighting Method he learned for his role in The Dark Knight.
“We have to tone it down for the movie,” he explained. “It’s such an ultra-violent – and very effective – fighting form that has nothing to do with the traditional idea of training from a calm sense of zen. It has all to do with going with people’s natural adrenaline rush when entering a violent situation. It’s very animalistic, y’know? It’s not like a choreography, where somebody puts their hand out and you know the counter. There are so many different moves you can use, and you employ it with your instinct and your violence.
“But we do have to tone it down, because if Batman was truly doing it, you’d be seeing cheeks being ripped off and noses being taken out,” Bale added. “And his code of not killing would probably wouldn’t last very long.”
I don’t believe Heath Ledger overdosed because playing The Joker took him to an intolerably dark place; when you have a drug problem, it can catch up to you at any time. Similarly, I didn’t just post the above to suggest that Keysi has brought out a violent element in Bale’s nature. It’s reductive, and probably dehumanizing, to argue that role-related work drives professional actors to extreme real-life behavior. Like anybody else, they’re motivated by a complex set of very personal factors that outsiders like us have no business trying to explain or simplify.
But I will admit that this Keysi stuff sounds mighty scary. I don’t want to mischaracterize it, though, so if you’re interested in learning more, here’s the discipline’s website. The founders, Justo Dieguez and Andy Norman, trained Bale.

Bicycle Film Festival O8 is coming to The Vine July 18-July 20! Sunday’s street party is not to miss – with the lovely Ines Bruun’s world famous bicycle stunts (next stop- The Olympics!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKUFAbuiD8Below is the complete program.
www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

FAST FRIDAY
USA 2007 | DV 27min.
Dir. David Rowe
Documents the rise of the prolific track bike scene in Seattle. Started by clothing designer and fixed-gear rider Dustin Klein (M.A.S.H.), the monthly bike event known as “Fast Friday” has grown into a showcase of today’s most talented riders.

THE SIX-DAY BICYCLE RACES
USA 2006 | DV 60min.
Dir. Mark Tyson
Discover the original American form of bicycle racing when the track was king. Traces the history of the forgotten sport from early days in the 1880s through the sad demise in the 1950s. Interviews bring to life the Six-Day Bicycle Race. The film shares the excitement of an era when a bike rider could make in six days what his father might earn in six years.

SATURDAY JULY 19
1:30
LUCAS BRUNELLE WORLDWIDE ADVENTURE
USA 2006 | DV 11min.
Dir. Lucas Brunelle
Lucas gives us a look at riding like no one else. London’s underground, the English Countryside, LA’s palm tree lined streets and Tokyo’s freeways are some of the backdrops for alleycats seen through the helmet cam.

WORLD ON WHEELS
USA 2008 | Super 8 Film 3min.
Dir. Lisa Marr and Paolo Davanzo
An animated bicycle excursion around the world.

THE BIKE LANE
USA 2007 | DV 65min.
Dir. Sean Patrick Crowell
Before the Lakers and Dodgers, there were the LA wheelman and the Los Angeles Athletic Club cycling team. Before the sig alert and the carpool lane people worked on their bicycles as police officers, lamp lighters, and couriers. Turn of the century Los Angeles was a hot bed of bicycle culture and over one hundred years later it still is.

“The Bike Lane” is a documentary about the bicycling scene in Los Angeles as told by a bicycling advocate, an LA bike messenger, a cycling coach and bike shop owner. The film follows these distinct groups of cyclists as they navigate their way through the city of angels.

HAVE YOU SEEN IT
USA 2007 | HD/16mm 22min.
Dir. Eric Crosland
Part MTB film, part thriller, part documentary, this movie is sure to surprise…

THE WAY BOBBY SEES IT
USA 2008 | DV 57min.
Dir. Jason Watkins, Wendy Todd
A gripping story about a blind mountain biker who relies on a “guide” to help him see as he races down one of the most difficult downhill courses in the U.S.

MILLAR’S TALE
USA 2007 | DV 11min.
Dir. Nigel Dick
David Millar, one time prologue winner of the Tour de France, talks about his fight against doping and his future with Slipstream Sports.

FROM TRAGEDY TO ADVOCACY: MARY BETH KELLY
USA 2008 | DV 5min.
Clarence Eckerson Jr
Mary Beth Kelly has turned into an even bigger bike advocate since her husband was killed by a tow truck while riding his bike.

ROAD TO ROUBAIX
USA 2008 | Video 75min.
Dir. David Deal and David Cooper
The film features the most difficult and prestigious one-day cycling race in the world: Paris-Roubaix. First held in 1896, the race is a grueling contest over 160 miles of cobbled farm roads in Northern France with a finish in the historic Roubaix velodrome.

9:30pm
URBAN BIKE SHORTS
KING OF SKITCH
USA 2008 | HD 2min.
Dir. Daniel Leeb
The King of NYC, Felipe Robayo, always finds the fastest way to get from A to B.

LUCAS BRUNELLE WORLDWIDE ADVENTURE
USA 2006 | DV 11min.
Dir. Lucas Brunelle
Lucas gives us a look at riding like no one else. London’s underground, the English Countryside, LA’s palm tree lined streets and Tokyo’s freeways are some of the backdrops for alleycats seen through the helmet cam.

Before we get to the official – and redundant – announcement of the Westwood fest’s award-winners, I would just like to thank Film Independent for not sticking entirely to their pandering, “Audience Is King” battle cry.
Much as I enjoyed the indeed audience-pleasing, already in or coming soon to a theater near you fest films “Wanted,” “The Wackness,” “American Teen” and “Hellboy II,” my favorite festival experiences were at difficult, not necessarily great and certainly not mass audience films that may never hit an L.A. screen again. Whatever their flaws, they were all unique, audacious, highly personalized works that emphasized the true artistic value of cinema: i.e., that the director, not the audience, is creative king.
So thanks, LAFF, for showing me:
The fascist Brazilian cop movie “Elite Squad,” the stylistically pumped-up, psycho-socially keen-edged and hilariously corrupt success de scandale that won the Berlin Film Festival amid much politically correct hand-wringing;
Nicolas Klotz’s demanding, talky “Heartbeat Detector,” with its tour-de-force performance from “Diving Bell and Butterfly’s” Mathieu Amalric as an HR profiler who discovers the links between his multinational corporation and its buried Nazi past;
“La France,” another idea for a movie only the French could come up with involving cross-dressing, dessertion and breaking into impromptu song routines during the darkest days of World War I;
“You, The Living,” Roy Andersson’s (“Songs from the Second Floor”) episodic, outlandishly deadpan and vaguely apocalyptic index of modern Swedish discontents;
And the, um, classic Shaw Brothers martial arts potboiler “Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan.” It may not be art, but it’s a jaw-dropper from forced porstitution start to limb-hacking finish.

That’s what I saw. Now, onto what the judges and “kings” deemed worthy:

LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL HONORS 2008 AWARD WINNERS

AT FESTIVAL AWARDS NIGHT

TARGET FILMMAKER AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT CLOSING NIGHT

BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Sean Baker’s Prince of Broadway

Winner of the Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

— The award carries with it an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target –

Darius Marder’s Loot

Winner of the Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

— The award carries with it an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target –

Jonathan Levine’s The Wackness

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Sacha Gervasi’s Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

James Marsh’s Man on Wire

Winner of the Audience Award for Best International Feature

SHORT FILM AND OTHER AWARDS ALSO ANNOUNCED

The Los Angeles Film Festival announced its 2008 award winners at the Festival’s Awards Night on Sunday, June 29, where acclaimed actor Don Cheadle was honored with the 2008 Spirit of Independence Award. The awards, presented by Rosanna Arquette, Illeana Douglas, Paul Haggis, Jennifer Beals and Halle Berry, include the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, which went to Jonathan Levine for The Wackness and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, which went to Sacha Gervasi for Anvil! The Story of Anvil. James Marsh’s Man on Wire won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

The award for Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition went to Jennifer Lawrence for her performance in Lori Petty’s The Poker House. Given to an actor or actors from an official selection in the Narrative Competition, this is the fifth year the award has been given out at the Festival.

The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Alice Winocour’s Magic Paris. The award for Best Documentary Short Film went to Eva Weber’s City of Cranes. Cam Christiansen’s I Have Seen the Future won the award for Best Animated/Experimental Short Film.

The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Darren Thornton’s Frankie. Melanie Mandl’s Run won the Audience Award for Best Music Video for Air.

“The audience truly is king, and it shows through their continued enthusiasm for diverse, entertaining, and thought-provoking films,” said Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rich Raddon. “The opportunity to see new summer movies and discover new international and independent talent has continued to fuel the growth in attendance at the Festival.”

The winners of the Target Filmmaker Awards were announced at Closing Night on Saturday, June 28. Hellboy II director Guillermo del Toro presented the awards to this year’s lucky winners. The Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Sean Baker for Prince of Broadway, and the Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Darius Marder for Loot. The Documentary Jury also bestowed a Special Jury Commendation to Pressure Cooker directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker.

In Sean Baker’s Prince of Broadway, immigrants from different parts of the world, Lucky and Levon, are trying to carve out their chunk of the American dream, hustling knock-offs in New York City’s chaotic Garment District. When an ex-girlfriend leaves a toddler in Lucky’s care, his newfound responsibilities send a ripple effect through both men’s lives. Working against predictability and melodrama, director Sean Baker’s delicately drawn portrait of American life is laced with humor and a deep affection for his characters, expertly brought to life by a near-perfect cast of up-and-comers who grace the screen with truthful and compelling performances.

In awarding Prince of Broadway with the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature, the jury stated the following: “Combining uncommonly quick-witted directorial skill with a lively and humane understanding of how all sorts of new Americans learn to scrape by at the bottom of New York’s melting pot, Sean Baker’s Prince of Broadway avoids sentimental pitfalls while letting the audience share the complications and private victories of lives that too many movies don’t think twice about.”

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

Darius Marder’s Loot asks the question, what would possess a used-car salesman from Utah to spend months searching through a filthy house piled with years of junk or to trek through the hills of Austria with only the memories of a blind man to guide him? Buried treasure, hidden more than 60 years ago by two World War II veterans. Despite the complications of fading memories and failing health, the lure of untold riches — no matter how unlikely — is simply irresistible. But what begins as a fool’s errand slowly becomes a journey all three men were destined to take in this quietly devastating documentary.

The Documentary Jury chose Loot as the recipient of the Target Documentary Award “because its elegance and exquisite craft delivers everything you want in a documentary. Its uniquely flawed characters, sublime surprise of verit, and keen cinematic eye come together in a beautiful and riveting film.”

In Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker’s Pressure Cooker, unorthodox Culinary Arts teacher Mrs. Stephenson isn’t sugar and spice; she’s a tyrant known throughout her Philly public high school for her hoarse rebukes of her students’ “McDonald’s palates” and sloppy crpes. She may be disarmingly blunt, but she cares about the final product: Last year, 11 of her seniors totaled $750,000 in scholarships to top culinary schools across the nation. Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker’s high-heat documentary follows students Erica, Tyree, and Fatoumata, three dedicated inner-city kids with circumstances stacked against them whose best hope for their futures depends on the perfect Tourne potato.

The Documentary Jury bestowed a Special Jury Commendation on Pressure Cooker “for passionately demonstrating the beauty and artfulness of food, the miracle of education, and the difference tough love can make in the lives of many.”

Awards were given out in the following categories:

Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

Winner: Prince of Broadway written by Sean Baker and Darren Dean, and directed by Sean Baker

Credits: Producer Darren Dean

Cast: Prince Adu, Karren Karagulian, Aiden Noesi

Film Description: Immigrants from different parts of the world, Lucky and Levon are trying to carve out their chunk of the American dream, hustling knock-offs in New York City’s chaotic Garment District. When an ex-girlfriend leaves a toddler in Lucky’s care, his newfound responsibilities send a ripple effect through both men’s lives. Working against predictability and melodrama, director Sean Baker’s delicately drawn portrait of American life is laced with humor and a deep affection for his characters, expertly brought to life by a near-perfect cast of up-and-comers who grace the screen with truthful and compelling performances.

The Target Filmmaker Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest American narrative film in competition. The award is given to the winning director of the Narrative Feature Competition. A special jury selects the winner. All narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

****

Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

Winner: Loot written/directed by Darius Marder

Credits: Producer Darius Marder

Film Description: What would possess a used-car salesman from Utah to spend months searching through a filthy house piled with years of junk or to trek through the hills of Austria with only the memories of a blind man to guide him? Buried treasure, hidden more than 60 years ago by two World War II veterans. Despite the complications of fading memories and failing health, the lure of untold riches — no matter how unlikely — is simply irresistible. But what begins as a fool’s errand slowly becomes a journey all three men were destined to take in this quietly devastating documentary.

The Target Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest American documentary film in competition. The award is given to the winning director of the Documentary Feature Competition. A special jury selects the winner. All documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible.

Film Description: Unorthodox Culinary Arts teacher Mrs. Stephenson isn’t sugar and spice; she’s a tyrant known throughout her Philly public high school for her hoarse rebukes of her students’ “McDonald’s palates” and sloppy crpes. She may be disarmingly blunt, but she cares about the final product: Last year, 11 of her seniors totaled $750,000 in scholarships to top culinary schools across the nation. Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker’s high-heat documentary follows students Erica, Tyree, and Fatoumata, three dedicated inner-city kids with circumstances stacked against them whose best hope for their futures depends on the perfect Tourne potato.

****

Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition

Winner: Jennifer Lawrence of Lori Petty’s The Poker House

Film Description: An ordinary day in young Agnes’ life is anything but. With a strung-out mother, a pimp father figure, and a home overrun by gamblers, thieves, and johns, Agnes is simply trying to survive, along with her two younger sisters. Beautifully crafted and featuring breakout performances by a trio of young actresses, Lori Petty’s directorial debut is at once frank and heartbreaking, lithe and hopeful. Eschewing predictability and indie tropes, Petty’s film has at its heart the candid assertion that while the world can be cruel, good things can happen to people who need them.

In bestowing Jennifer Lawrence with Oustanding Performance recognition, the Jury stated: “Everything in The Poker House is riding on Jennifer Lawrence’s performance, but we never once catch her looking like she knows it. Her ability to convince us that the victimized teenager she plays has never known any other life but this one — and has no idea if it’s unusual or not — is screen acting at its very best.”

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

Film Description: Where were you in the summer of 1994? Writer and director Jonathan Levine brings those days of mixtapes and mad flavor back to life in this story of a New York City teenager who copes with the usual problems of girls and growing up while also slinging weed and trying to keep his family from getting evicted. Add an outrageous dope-smoking therapist played by Ben Kingsley alongside the central performances of Josh Peck and Juno’s Olivia Thirlby, and this freewheeling farce plays as anything but wack.

This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

Winner: Anvil! The Story of Anvil directed by Sacha Gervasi

Credits: Producer Rebecca Yeldham

Film Description: A totally uncool twist of fate left pioneering Canadian metal band Anvil foundering in obscurity, despite the impact of its second album, 1982’s Metal on Metal, on the then-burgeoning metal scene. Covering two years of tireless touring and the recording of Anvil’s 13th album, former roadie Sacha Gervasi perfectly captures the humor and pathos of two middle-aged guys who still just want to rock and who never stopped believing that stardom could be just another gig away. Part comedy, part cautionary tale, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is an anthem to people who can’t give up on their dreams without one last fight.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best International Feature

Winner: Man On Wire directed by James Marsh

Credits: Producer Simon Chinn

Cast: Featuring Philippe Petit

Country: England

Film Description: An unexpectedly moving tale of Philippe Petit, the French acrobat who in 1974 realized his fantasy to walk a tight-rope between the newly erected twin towers of the World Trade Center, Man on Wire is in many ways a tribute to the art of dreaming big, as footage of the construction of the WTC is intercut with interviews with Petit and his oddball collection of collaborators/co-conspirators. His walk is part art project, part performance, part act of rebellion, and James Marsh’s film celebrates the seemingly impossible task and the man who dared dream it.

This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. All international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, in the International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

****

Audience Award for Best Music Video

Winner: Run by Melanie Mandl

Music: Air

Description: A couple is forced to face their fears of spiders and loneliness.

This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

****

Best Narrative Short Film

Winner: Magic Paris by Alice Winocour

Credits: Producer Dharamsala

Description: Oh Paris! What a perfect setting for meeting the man of one’s life…and his dog.

“Our choice for Best Narrative Short starts with the seemingly familiar setting of a woman adventuring into an unfamiliar city and finding romance, but with a humorously unexpected turn of events reminds us how life is truly an undefined map, marked by paths of sweet reward and bittersweet compromise,” said the Shorts Competition Jury.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

****

Best Documentary Short Film

Winner: City of Cranes by Eva Weber

Credits: Producer Samantha Zarzosa

Description: Hidden in plain sight, a graceful and profound world is revealed in this documentary about the cranes that quietly shape our urban landscape.

“Best Documentary Short goes to Eva Weber’s beautifully made film that gives us insight into the stories and perspectives of crane workers who operate their powerful machinery in birds’-eye solitude. Taking the short form into places new and unexpected, she’s crafted a quietly artful piece that is thoughtful, touching, and funny,” said the Shorts Competition Jury.

Best Animated/Experimental Short Film

Winner: I Have Seen the Future by Cam Christiansen

Credits: Written by Kris Demeanor, animated by Cam Christiansen and Scott Underhill

Description: On a hot summer afternoon, a father and son play tennis until their game is interrupted by a group of foul-mouthed hooligans.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

****

Audience Award for Best Short Film

Winner: Frankie by Darren Thornton

Credits: Producer Collette Farrell

Description: Frankie is 15 and becoming a dad. He wants to do everything right but soon discovers that his determination may not be enough.

Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

If you’re into the stylized Japanese cartoon format, you’ll be spending your Fourth of July Downtown.
Here’s the press release:

ANIME EXPO 2008 PREVIEW

Excitement Builds for Nation’s Largest Anime and Manga Convention

Los Angeles, California (July 1, 2008) — With a huge colorful 200 foot long
banner proudly facing major L.A. freeways, a fantastic list of talent from
the U.S. and Japan, 2 huge concerts, Convention favorites like the
Masquerade and AX Idol, 11 major hotels in the Downtown Los Angeles area,
free 24 hour shuttle services, almost 200 exhibitors (with many of the major
industry players) and a state of the art registration system, Anime Expo
2008 is looking to be, once again, the nations premiere anime and manga
convention of the year. Anime Expo 2008 will be held from July 3-6, 2008
at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information
can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.

Attendee numbers continue to grow by the hour in anticipation of one of the
most colorful conventions in the nation. “Our current pre-registration
numbers are amazing and surpass that of last year, we are really excited
that so many fans are coming to celebrate the popularity of anime and manga
in the U.S. To those who have yet to register, come and join us for one of
the most memorable experiences ever” states Liyin Liang Anime Expo 2008’s
Convention Chairwoman.

“With such huge support from the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police
Department, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Experient and LA Inc. we are
very excited and are sure that our attendees will have one of the most
enjoyable and fantastic convention experiences to date,” states Trulee
Karahashi SPJA CEO.

The two new sneak peeks will introduce some of this year’s AXBackstage
hosts as well as some tips on obtaining “good and cheap eats” for con-goers.

AXBackstage offers visitors an insider’s look at the hottest anime/manga
titles, exclusive interviews with Guests attending this year’s hottest
convention, video coverage of convention activities, attendee and convention
photos/images, news and related peripherals. In addition, visitors can
download up to date information and change/corrections in scheduled events,
activities and much more. AXBackstage will launch July 2, 2008 on the world
wide web at www.axbackstage.org.

The full list of official Anime Expo 2008 Guests of Honor include up and
coming director Masahiro Ando, legendary American voice actor David Hayter,
famed POKEMON director Masamitsu Hidaka, the dynamic duo known as Jyukai,
renowned animator Hiromi Kato, celebrated veteran voice actor Toshihiko
Seki, the new Japanese “It-Girl” Shokotan and the legendary character
designer Takada Akemi.

Attendees that have pre-registered can also update their information and add
on orders for main event tickets via the Anime Expo 2008 Online
Registration Area at www.anime-expo.org.

Free shuttle services for all hotel attendees will be provided. Regular
non-hotel attendees will have access to utilize the free shuttle services
during designated hours as well. All schedules and routes will be posted in
the lobby of each shuttle hotel. Frequency of service is pending local
traffic, road conditions and can change without notice. Also, no shuttle
service provided to the Holiday Inn City Center and the Figueroa Hotel (both
are within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center).

Attendees, Press and Industry Members are also encouraged to view the video
coverage site of the 2007 convention at www.AXBackstage.org.

About Anime Expo
Located in Los Angeles, California – Anime Expo, the nations largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as
a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2008 will be held July 3 July 6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property Anime Expo. More
information can be found at its website www.spja.org.